Dental hygiene is an extremely important undertaking in order to keep teeth clean and prevent dental problems or complications, for example cavities, bad breath, gingivitis and gum disease. It is well established that your teeth should be brushed at least twice a day, and preferably professionally cleaned twice a year. However the majority of people, when practising oral hygiene, tend to concentrate on cleaning the surfaces of the teeth, and less commonly between the teeth by means of flossing. The large majority of people tend to overlook cleaning above the gum line, known as supra-gingival cleaning, in addition to cleaning just below the gum line, known as sub-gingival cleaning.
The small crevice or channel which forms the interface between the gums and the teeth, known as the sub-gingival margin or sulcus, is a natural location at which plaque deposits form, and is relatively difficult to clean effectively. As a result plaque deposits can build along the gum line over time, and are often characterised by a darkening of the area
The above sub-gingival cleaning is one of the most important aspects of dental hygiene, as sub-gingival plaque and calculus is one of the major causes of periodontal disease. Conventional toothbrushes are however ill equipped and designed to facilitate such gingival or sub-gingival cleaning. The design of conventional toothbrushes require, as a result of their bristle tuft configuration, to be presented at an angle of approximately 45° to the surface of the teeth in order to gain entry to the sub-gingival area. In addition these conventional toothbrushes have a tendency to lift the free gingival excessively and may therefore result in long-term gum detachment complications.
It is therefore an object of the present invention to overcome the above mentioned problems of the prior art.